Lord Howe on "Square Deal's" Future
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r-IN Monday Lord Howe made a \a/vigorous speech at the annual general meeting of the 734i:fish Road Federation. The first matters which he dealt with were the "square deal " campaign and the consequent report
of the T.A.C. In speaking of the report, Lord Howe said:β" The report recommends that there should be periodical meetings between traders and the railway companies. I think that is a very valuable suggestion, and, provided it be carried out in the same spirit as the agreement, I do not think there should be any difficulty about it."
The Whole thing would come up for consideration in five years' time. Meanwhile, he thought it was up to the road transport industry to do everything it could to carry out the recommendations in the spirit in which the agreement was arrived at between road hauliers and the railway interests, So far as the B.R.F. was concerned, it would do everything it could to support the report and the agreement arrived at by the Liaison Committee.
Lord Howe then referred to the report of the House of Lords Select Committee on the Prevention of Road Accidents, and said " The Federation, of course, gave evidence before the Alness Committee, and I would like to say, as the individual who led that deputation, how much I, personally, was impressed by the extraordinary fairness of the chairman and all its members." He continued:β" The report contains some very valuable recommendations on the road system as a whole. One of these recommendations which I would like to bring particularly to your notice is: ' The present road system is inadequate and out of date. It does not meet the traffic needs, the convenience, or the safety of road users. . . . If more vigorous action be not taken in the future than in the past, there will be a complete strangulation of traffic, for saturation point has almost been reached.' " He said that was nothing but the entire truth, because it was true to say there was not a single main road in the country that was really adequate, by reason of its construction and the traffic using it.
The chairman then mentioned some of the many activities of the Federa-,= firm during the past year, in connection with:βThe Street Playgrounds Act; the extension of the currency period of p.s.v. and goods licences; the _Draft London Traffic Waiting Regulations; and toll roads and bridges.
He closed by referring to the future activities of the Federation, and said:β" At the present moment the demands made by the re-armament policy upon. the money and manpower of the nation make it difficult to secure a fair share of either for the construction of roads. It is important that the necessity for road construction be not forgotten, and that our previous work of educating the public should not be thrown away. . .